The scoop from HTC/Verizon's Droid DNA event: "this thing is sick"

This entry was posted on November 14, 2012 by ewilkinson.

Unveiled at an event in New York yesterday, HTC/Verizon's Droid DNA has already been getting rave reviews. Photo courtesy of CBS.

Recently, the Pure Mobile blog reported on an upcoming HTC/Verizon event slated for November 13 in New York city. When the invitations started rolling out, most (including us) assumed only one thing – HTC's latest smartphone, the Verizon-bound Droid DNA, would be making its first official appearance. Well, we all assumed correctly.

The event may only have wrapped up yesterday, but reviews are already in, and they're looking good. No, they're looking great, as major Tech sites start loading praise on the black and red device that may just reverse HTC's less than stellar fortunes of late.

"I may have (finally!) found my new Android Smartphone," wrote one BGR writer, while an article from Gizmodo described the new device as simultaneously "nuts" and "sick."

The Droid DNA is HTC's first flagship phone for Verizon in quite a while, but the company seems to have made up for lost time by putting out what Gizmodo calls "the most impressively spec-filled smartphone the world has yet known."

at 440PPI, the Droid DNA's 5" display beats out the competition

Speaking of specs, where do we start?

TechCrunch has called out the new smartphone's screen as its "biggest claim to fame." The 5" Gorilla Glass display is unique to the Droid DNA in North America – only the Japanese HTC Butterfly J has one like it. And with a resolution of 440 pixels-per-inch, the 1080p Super LCD3 screen certainly outpaces competitors like the iPhone 5.

Ok, so what's under the hood? The Droid DNA boasts 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, a quad-core, 1.5Ghz Snapdragon Qualcomm processor, with 4G LTE sharing the same chip as the application processor. "Having one chip instead of two improves battery life," writes CNET.

But if your battery does run out of juice, the Droid DNA has wireless charging capabilities, though as TechCrunch notes, there aren't many details yet about accessories for that.

Powered by Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean, the device is NFC- and LTE- capable, and comes with Beats Audio. And its 2.1 megapixel front-facing and 8 megapixel rear-facing cameras are up to standard as compared with other recent devices.

So, how much will HTC's best smartphone to date run you, and when will you eb able to get your paws on its super-sized screen? The Droid DNA is already available for pre-order, but it'll be heading to Verizon for November 21 at a price of $200 with a 2-year contract.